


Papa Jason Collection

by DianneRose2016



Series: The Clay Spenser Collection [3]
Category: SEAL Team (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Brotherly Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Hurt Clay, Hurt/Comfort, Papa Jason, Protective Jason, Protective brothers, clay whumpage, story warnings at the start of each chapter, whumpage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:15:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28279761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DianneRose2016/pseuds/DianneRose2016
Summary: Oneshots that will show why Jason Hayes is Clay's rightful father. They will focus on the bond that they share as well as the bond that the team has with Clay. They are going to be Clay whumpage for either emotional, mental or physical pain. Summaries and warnings will be at the start of each chapter.
Series: The Clay Spenser Collection [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2060853
Comments: 19
Kudos: 81





	Papa Jason Collection

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a series of oneshots that can be read in any order. They won’t be connected and they will bounce around between seasons. It’s just whatever comes to my mind for an idea. They are all going to feature the father/son bond between Jason and Clay with Clay whumpage either physical injuries or emotional/mental ones.
> 
> Summary: Set after Vic joins the team. Bravo was tasked with an operation to Kazakhstan, but everything went wrong. Clay and Vic were grabbed from overwatch and for the past ten days they had been looking for them. When Bravo finally finds them Clay is forever changed by the torture he had endured. Jason does everything he can to put his son back together.
> 
> Story warnings: Mentions of torture, medical talking, mentions of sexual assualt. No actual scenes, just talking about it.

Ten days, ten long fucking days Bravo had been travelling through Kazakhstan trying to find Vic and Clay. The mission had started thirteen days ago and it was supposed to be an easy one. All they had to do was eliminate a major player over here. The Kazakhstani police and military weren’t allowed to touch the target so Bravo was sent in to do the dirty work and not cause a political nightmare and potential war. It was a simple mission that had gone smoothly. Due to the lack of ISR from the trees Jason had made the call to send Clay up on overwatch with Vic. It was a decision that he would regret for the rest of his life. Vic had been on the team for only a month and so far Vic and Clay hadn’t really meshed very well. Jason had been hoping that having Clay take Vic under his wing and teach him about overwatch it would force them to talk and maybe start to build a bond. It’s what he did for Sonny and Clay and they were best friends now. Everything had been going well, until Clay’s voice came over coms letting them know that they had company. Clay was going to make them a window so they could get out to their exfil and him and Vic would get to the secondary exfil. Jason didn’t want to do it, but he knew Clay could handle things. He had his other brother’s lives to worry about and he trusted in Clay’s skills. He would keep Vic alive and they would get him at the secondary location. When they arrived to pick them up, they were nowhere to be found. 

They made the journey back to where Clay and Vic were on overwatch, hoping to find them along the way, but they didn’t. They only found evidence of a fight and then tire tracks. Clay and Vic had been taken, his kid had been taken. They searched the area, but came up with nothing. They had no choice, but to go back to HAVOC and hope that they could find something on them. Alpha team had been brought in to help them with the search and after ten days of searching they had finally got a strong lead on where they were being held. They were making their way through the forests towards a compound where Clay and Vic were suspected of being held. Bravo and Alpha had already gotten a plan together to search the compound and to focus on finding their boys. Alpha was to try and find Vic, while Bravo would search for Clay. They were all exhausted and hungry. They hadn’t been resting very much or eating anything real. They had been settling for small naps and quick bits of food just so they could keep going and searching for their boys. They were also cold from the beginning of winter. It was nearing fourteen degrees fahrenheit and each of them were feeling it. There wasn’t any snow on the ground thankfully, but it was hard and frozen and they could all see their breaths. They had dressed warm and had brought extra clothes and boots for both Vic and Clay just in case theirs were missing. Both Trent and Derek had extensive medical kits with them so they were prepared for any injuries to come their way.

They were almost at the location when they heard someone coming their way. They all put their guns up, but instantly lowered them when they saw Vic coming through the trees. He was limping slightly and Ray went over to help him. The others all joined them as Ray spoke.

“What hurts?”

“It’s just my ankle.” Vic answered, as he leaned into Ray to take the weight off his ankle.

“Sit him down.” Trent said, as he went over to start checking Vic out.

From what they could see Vic still had all of his clothes and his boots on, even his jacket. He didn’t seem to have any injuries, just some bruising around his right eye and his sore ankle. 

“Where’s Clay?” Jason asked. Right now that was all that mattered.

“I don’t know.” Vic answered, with just a slight tired voice.

“What the hell do you mean you don’t know?” Sonny growled.

“We were separated.” 

“What the hell happened Lopez?” Jason asked.

“We were on Overwatch and waited until you guys were cleared. We were just heading out when a group of ten got the jump on us. They all had guns and we were both grabbed, they took our guns and tied our hands. They took us to this compound about ten miles from here, put us in separate rooms. I don't know about Spenser, but they had my hands shackled to the floor. I hurt my ankle on the trip to the compound. They left me locked in the room this whole time. Brought me food and water once a day.”

“They didn’t ask you any questions?” Derek asked, as that didn’t sound right at all.

“They asked who I was, what division of the military. I told them that I was Navy and just a rookie. They asked who Clay was and I said I didn’t know, that it was my first time seeing him. They didn’t ask me anything else after that.”

“For fuck’s sake. Of course they didn’t ask you anything else, you told them you were a rookie. They would have figured Clay to be your superior and they would have gone after him. There’s no point in torturing some rookie who wouldn’t know anything.” Sonny said, pissed that Vic had said anything at all. You were trained to keep your mouth shut and only give your identification number if you had to. 

“I did the same thing in SERE and no one corrected me. I’m sure Spenser is fine, he probably got out.” Vic said, in his defense.

“He wouldn’t have left without getting you out. How did you get out?” Jason demanded.

“I was able to get the lock to snap and I went out the door. I came across two tangos, I knocked them out, but I couldn’t find Spenser, so I left. I figured he escaped.”

“So you just left him there?” Sonny said, outraged by this.

“I looked around, I didn’t see him. I hadn’t heard him either. Figured he escaped and didn’t find me.”

“What do you mean you hadn’t heard him?” Jason asked.

“His cell was next to mine. I could hear them talking to him and I could hear his voice. It was mumbles through the wall. I hadn’t heard him since the last time the door was opened. He wasn’t in the room, so I figured he escaped. We didn’t talk to each other, so he might not have known I was even next to him.”

“And at any point in the past ten days did you hear him yell?” Full Metal asked.

“Ya he screamed a lot.” Vic easily stated.

Sonny went to lunge for Vic, but Derek and Full Metal were able to hold him back. “He screamed a lot and you just left him there? He wouldn’t have been screaming if you hadn’t said you were a rookie. They would have taken turns with you. He would have been given a break instead; he's been tortured for the past ten days probably. While you were sitting pretty getting food and water.” 

“I didn’t do anything wrong. They teach you in Green Team that if you get captured your only focus is surviving. Telling them I was a rookie was the best chance I had of avoiding torture and surviving. I did what everyone would do in that situation. I went looking for him, I didn’t see him, I wasn’t going to hang around and wait to ask a guard where he was.” Vic argued right back. He didn’t do anything wrong and he had no idea why they all seemed so pissed off at him for it. He didn’t get them kidnapped. Clay was the one to make the call to hang around and take out the tangos from Overwatch, putting them in danger. 

“We don’t have time for this. Trent, he good to move?” Jason asked, they needed to find Clay.

“He’s not dehydrated, no bruising, only injury is his black eye and a sprained ankle. He’s fine.” Trent said, with an edge to his voice. He wasn’t impressed anymore then the rest if the guys were. It was one thing to try and survive and another to knowingly throw the other guy under the bus. They left Vic alone because there was no point in torturing information out of a rookie. 

“Let’s move.” Jason ordered.

The guys all headed out, Alpha’s rookie grabbed Vic to help him walk as they made their way towards the compound. They were five miles away when they heard more footsteps coming through the trees, this time to the left closest to Jason. They all stopped and pointed their guns in the direction of the sound, ready to fire should they need to. They were shocked when it wasn’t a hostile, but Clay stumbling through the trees. Jason was instantly heading his way as he called out.

“We need a blanket.”

Clay was completely naked and covered in dirt and blood. Once Jason was close enough Clay’s legs gave out and Jason caught him and gently brought him down to the ground. 

“It’s ok I got you.” Jason said, as the guys ran over to them.

Trent had a blanket in his hands and was instantly wrapping it around Clay to try and get him warm. It was way too cold for him to be out in this weather with no clothes on. The guys all took in Clay’s appearance. He was covered in blood, it was all over his body and his face, along with dirt. His whole body was trembling and his breathing was full of wheezes. They could see bruising, but it was hard through the dirt. The worst part was Clay’s eyes. They were blank, his mind had checked out. Trent moved the blanket open a bit so he could look at Clay’s torso and he couldn’t help but close his eyes for a moment at the sight. His whole torso was covered in bruising, he knew there would be some broken ribs. There were also cuts all over him, deep enough that they would need stitches, but not so deep that he would bleed to death. They were all over his arms, his stomach, chest and his legs, Trent figured there were at least a hundred of them. All of them would need to be cleaned and stitched. He had electrical burns as well as second degree burns all over his torso. His fingernails were all removed, a quick look at his feet revealed his toenails were as well. 

“He’s not talking, why isn’t he saying anything?” Sonny asked, panicked by Clay’s condition.

“He’s in shock.” Trent answered as he covered Clay’s torso back up so he could look at his feet and legs.

“It’s ok, you’re safe son, it’s ok.” Jason calmly repeated as he held Clay against his chest as best as he could with his vest on. 

The bottom of Clay’s feet were torn up from running or walking through the woods without shoes. His legs were covered in bruises, but what made everyone’s breath stop was seeing the blood between Clay’s legs and on the back of his thighs.

“They” Ray started, but he couldn’t seem to form the words to finish his question.

“Ya.” Was all Trent said, as he fought to get his own anger under control.

The guys were all struggling with their emotions right now. It was one thing to be tortured, but it was something completely different to have been raped. Jason found himself having to force his own body to not shake. He was pissed, he wanted blood. He wanted to get to that compound and kill every last person within it for what they had done to Clay, to his son. A sharp groan of pain brought Jason’s mind back to Clay. He was in a lot of pain and had to be his priority.

“He’s in a lot of pain, can you give him anything?” Jason said, to Trent.

“I’ll give him half a dose now and see how he reacts to it.” Trent easily agreed.

He went through his medical bag and grabbed what he needed as Jason spoke to the others. “Derek, take your team and eliminate anyone within that compound. I’ll have Chalk Two meet you at a secondary exfil. Bravo will take Clay to Chalk One and head back to the hangar.”

“I’m going with Alpha.” Sonny said, as his body shook. He was doing everything he could to keep himself from ringing Vic’s neck. 

“Go.” Jason easily agreed. He knew Sonny had some anger he had to work out. 

Brock came over with the extra bag that would have Clay’s clothes in it as the other guys stood watch. 

“Let’s go.” Derek ordered his guys.

They all headed out and Trent grabbed the morphine shot and spoke to Clay before he did anything. “I’m going to move the blanket for a second to give you some morphine Spense.”

Clay didn’t say anything or give any indication that he even heard him. Trent knew Clay’s mind was in a state of shock, so he didn’t expect anything from him. He moved the blanket just enough to get to Clay’s outer upper thigh and he gave him a half dose. He would be able to give him more later once he watched how it affected him. He was worried about Clay’s breathing. Trent grabbed his stethoscope next as he spoke.

“We’ll need a litter and he’s going to need a hospital or a base with an infirmary.” 

“I got the litter.” Full Metal said, as he moved to the bag and started to pull it out to put it together.

“We could take him to Kabul, they have a large base. It’s Army, but I don’t think they’ll care.” Ray said.

Jason moved his hand over to his radio as he spoke. “Bravo One to HAVOC.”

“Go ahead Bravo One” Blackburn said.

“We found Bravo Seven and Clay. Alpha and Sonny are going to do the compound raid. We need to take Clay to Kabul, he’s severely injured.”

“I’ll have it arranged and set up a second exfil location for Alpha. You will need to come back to the hangar to refuel before you will be able to make it to Kabul.”

“Copy, we’ll be there soon.”

It wasn’t lost on Vic that Jason had referred to him as Bravo seven and Clay as Clay. Nor was it lost on him that Jason didn’t state that he was ok and Blackburn didn’t ask. Vic knew he was in the doghouse, but he really didn’t understand why. He was hoping later that he could ask Ray about it. Trent listened to Clay’s lungs for a moment before he pulled back and picked up a thermometer. 

“How are they?” Jason asked.

“Congested and he has a fever. So either he has pneumonia or they waterboarded him and he has some water left in his lungs. The fever could be connected to an infection from the cuts. Spense, can you tell me if they waterboarded you?” Trent asked, gently.

Clay didn’t respond though. He didn’t act like he had even heard Trent speaking. He just continued to stare off into space against Jason’s chest. When Clay didn’t say anything Jason tried.

“Sunshine, can you answer Trent for me?” 

Clay only continued to not talk and Jason looked up at Trent completely worried about what was going on with Clay.

“Why isn’t he talking? I know you said he was in shock, but this seems more than that.” Ray said, worried as well. Clay always talked.

“Ten days being tortured and raped, no food, he’s dehydrated, possible concussion to go with it. His mind is in shock and taking a break. There’s not much I can do for him right now. We need to get him dressed and on the chopper. Once in the air I can start working on cleaning the wounds.” 

Trent would have loved to do that here, but it was too cold and too close to danger. They needed to get Clay up in the air where he would be safe and it would be warmer. Brock helped Trent to get Clay dressed while Jason held him. Everytime they moved Clay he would groan or moan in pain with each little movement. They all knew he was in a great deal of pain, but the small amount of morphine was all he could have right now until Trent was able to monitor his breathing. Trent and Brock worked quickly and efficiently so they could get Clay dressed and ready to be moved. Once he was dressed and his boots were on it was time to move him over to the litter.

“I got him.” Jason said.

Jason very carefully moved to pick Clay up bridal style and lifted him ever so slightly up off the ground as Trent slid the litter underneath. The small scream of pain didn’t go unnoticed by the guys and they hated that Clay was in this much pain and they couldn’t do anything to help him. 

“I know, I’m sorry Sunshine. Almost done.” Jason said, as he gently laid Clay down on the blanket that was placed on top of the litter. 

They wrapped the blanket around Clay before they strapped him in. With Clay set they were ready to move out. Trent took the top of the litter by Clay’s head while Full Metal grabbed the bottom. Jason walked right next to Clay so he would be able to see him should Clay need him. Ray helped Vic walk and together they all made the journey back to where exfil was. They didn’t run as they didn’t want the jostling to hurt Clay, but they couldn’t go slow either. Clay needed medical attention and he needed to get out of the cold. He was most likely already going to have hypothermia and they needed to get him warmed up. It was an hour later when they reached exfil and they quickly loaded Clay up in the chopper as they got in. Once the doors were closed Jason spoke.

“We gotta get him to Kabul Army Base.” 

“Commander Blackburn informed us. We just need to stop real quick to refuel then we’ll be on our way.” The pilot said, as they started to take off.

The jostling of the helicopter only caused Clay more pain, and he couldn’t stop the groan and moans that escaped his lips. Once they were in the air and at a safe distance, Jason couldn’t do it anymore. He removed his vest as he spoke.

“I’ll take him.”

Trent started to remove the scraps that were holding Clay down as Ray spoke. 

“Jase, taking your vest off isn’t a smart idea. Something could still go wrong.”

“I’ll be fine. He’s in too much pain lying down right now like this. I’ll hold him and Trent can start to look him over more.”

Trent got the straps off and they all moved Clay as gently as they could so he was laying on his right side in Jason’s arms. Once Clay was situated Jason ran his hand through Clay’s hair as Trent started to get a better look at his injuries. Brock, Full Metal and Ray took out their flashlights and held them up so Trent would have proper light to look Clay over. Trent started with Clay’s feet, he removed his boots and socks and worked on cleaning the cuts to the bottom of his feet from running through the woods. He worked as quickly as he could as he cleaned them and once he was done he put Clay’s socks and boots back on just so he could keep him warm. 

“Brock, can you grab some heating packs and get them going.” Trent said, as he moved to roll Clay’s pant legs up. He wasn’t going to remove his pants, but he did want to try and clean as many of the cuts as he could.

Brock got the heating packs out and snapped them to get them warmed up. Once they were ready he went and placed one against Clay’s chest to help warm his core temperature before he moved the other to place it between Clay’s thighs to help warm his legs up. Clay’s whole body was trembling and they knew it was from the cold and the pain his body was in. They wished they could make it better, but right now they were helpless to do anything. 

“It’s ok Clay, you’re doing good.” Trent said, as he worked on getting as many cuts as he could clean on Clay.

He wished he could have given Clay more morphine, but he needed to monitor Clay’s breathing first. They sounded congested and he was really worried about water being in his lungs. He had questions that he needed answers, but right now Clay’s mind wasn’t in the position to give that to him currently. Jason continued to hold onto Clay and tell him he was safe and that he would be ok for the whole chopper ride back to the hangar. Once they landed Trent was getting off and running into the hangar to grab more medical supplies, like an oxygen tank. The pilots got out and worked as quickly as they could to get the chopper filled up. The guys all saw the second chopper land and everyone in Alpha and Sonny ran over to them and over to the open side of the chopper. 

“How is he?” Sonny asked.

“Get in, we’re taking him to Kabul Army Base.” Jason said and Sonny was instantly getting in. “Blackburn needs Alpha to stay and get everything wrapped up before you all will meet us there.” Jason said to Derek.

“We’ll handle it. Everyone in the compound was dead when we got there. We’ll talk more when we get to the base.” Derek said, as Trent came running back to the chopper with a small oxygen tank and a pillow.

“I’ll leave you my supplies just in case you need em.” Derek said to Trent and he placed his bag down on the chopper floor. It was a tight fit, but he knew all of the guys would want to stay with Clay.

“Appreciate it.” Trent said to Derek, before turning his attention to Clay. “Clay, I have a pillow for you to lay on, it’s going to be more comfortable for the flight. I also have an oxygen mask I need to put on you to help with your breathing.”

Jason helped to get Clay’s head up so Trent could get the pillow under his head and the oxygen mask on him. Every little movement caused Clay more pain and the guys wished they could just knock him out for the rest of the flight. Once the chopper was filled Derek spoke. 

“We’ll see you soon.” 

Jason gave a nod and Derek closed the door and all of Alpha ran towards the hangar so they wouldn’t be in the way of the chopper as it took off. The rocking of take off caused Clay to scream in pain, but they knew once they leveled out in the air it would be a smoother ride.

“You can’t give him anything?” Sonny asked Trent.

“Not yet. I’m worried about his breathing, it’s already shallow and the morphine will suppress it.”

“How could you allow this to happen?” Sonny snapped at Vic.

“Me? How the hell is this my fault?” Vic argued right back. He wasn’t going to take blame for something that wasn’t his fault.

“You allowed them to torture him while you sat nice and safe in your cell. He was the one to be tortured. Then you left him while you ran to safety.”

“I didn’t know where he was. I tried to find him, but he wasn’t in his cell.”

“No, he was buried fucking alive while you were getting your own ass safe.” Sonny said, and that had everyone stunned.

To hear that Clay had been buried alive, it broke their hearts. At the same time, it made sense. Clay was covered in dirt and it was more then you would have gotten if you were sitting in a dirty cell. 

“What?” Ray asked, softly.

“Roxy found the hole. Looks like he dug himself out and then killed everyone he came across. Most of them had their throats slashed or their necks broken. They were all dead when we got there.” Sonny explained.

Clay’s breathing had picked up and Jason could feel the anxiety within him. Clay’s mind wasn’t all there to the point where he was talking, but he was able to hear them and he understood what they were saying. And right now they were making him worse.

“That’s enough. No more talking about it, you’re making him worse.” Jason ordered.

The guys all looked over at Clay and Cerb moved closer so he could lay down next to Clay to offer some comfort. Clay moved his one hand over and placed it in Cerberus’ fur. 

“Sorry brother. We didn’t mean to upset you.” Ray instantly said. 

“He needs rest. Everyone quiet.” Trent said, as he worked on getting Clay calmed back down and checking his breathing.

Everyone within the chopper stayed quiet for the remainder of the flight. They didn’t want to cause Clay any more pain. They all sat back and just watched Clay as they flew the distance to Kabul where he would hopefully be able to get some pain meds into him and they would finally get to see what all of his injuries were.

XXX

Arriving at the Kabul Army Base was similar to touching down on a Navy base. The second the chopper landed the doors were being opened and a doctor was there with a stretcher ready for Clay. Jason gently picked Clay up bridal style and moved him over to the stretcher as Trent spoke to the doctor.

“He doesn’t do well with strangers touching him, it’s going to be worse after what he’s been through.” 

“You the medic?” The Doctor asked.

“Trent.” Trent answered with a nod.

“Dr. Roth, you can stay with us as we examine him. Having you around might help keep him calm. What do you know?” Dr. Roth asked, as they started to head off to the infirmary. 

“He’s got close to a hundred cuts to his whole body, they will need to be stitched. I’ve cleaned as many of them as I could without removing his clothing fully. He’s had half a dose of morphine, his breathing is shallow and laboured. His lungs sounded congested and he had a fever. I suspect at least four broken ribs and a concussion. He was naked walking through the forest, so possible hypothermia, his feet are cut up, all of his fingernails and toenails were pulled. He also has electrical burns and second degree burns on his torso. As well as, he’s been sexually assaulted.” Trent said, with as much professionalism as he could manage given the severe level of injuries that Clay was suffering from.

“We’ll take care of him. Debbie, let’s get him sedated and a new IV bag hung with broad spectrum antibiotics to get started.” Dr. Roth said, as they rolled Clay into an empty room within the infirmary.

Nurse Debbie gave a nod and together Trent and Dr. Roth transferred Clay over to the bed. 

“I know you all want to be here, but I need room to move. Please, go and wait in the waiting area.” Dr. Roth said.

“I’m not leaving him.” Jason instantly said.

“I know you are worried about your man.” Dr. Roth started, but Jason cut him off.

“He’s my son. I’m not leaving him, I’ll stay out of your way but my eyes aren’t leaving him.” 

Dr. Roth nodded with understanding, he wouldn’t be leaving his son either. “I need everyone else to please go and wait in the waiting room.”

“Come on Son, we gotta give them room to work.” Ray said, looking to get the guys out of there as the nurse got Clay sedated so he would sleep through the whole examination and tests. 

The guys all headed out and Jason kept his word and stayed back and allowed the nurse, Trent and Dr. Roth work on Clay. He watched as Trent removed Clay of his clothing and got the hospital gown on him. Seeing Clay in the light of the base only made him look worse. He was filthy, covered in blood and dirt that had turned into mud in sections. He needed a bath, but that would come later. The doctor got Clay on an oxygen mask that they had while Trent started to clean the cuts closer to Clay’s private area. Trent and Dr. Roth worked together to get all of the cuts cleaned and stitched. Close to six hundred stitches all over his body from the cuts alone. Jason couldn’t imagine the pain that Clay would have felt during it. 

Once the cuts were taken care of Dr. Roth turned his attention to Clay’s head. He moved the portable MRI machine over and did a scan of Clay’s brain to see about any damage done. It was very easy to pick up the damage within Clay’s mind on the scan, but Jason had no idea what it meant.

“What is it?” Jason asked.

“Grade Three concussion. He’s going to be pretty sick with it for the next few months.” Trent answered.

Dr. Roth moved the portable MRI back and grabbed the x-ray machine. He was worried about Clay’s breathing and he wanted to make sure there wasn’t any water in his lungs. He took various pictures of his lungs as well as his rib cage and then looked at them on the screen.

“Five broken ribs, three on the right and two on the left.” Dr. Roth said with a shake of his head.

“Lungs look clear though.” Trent said, as he was more worried about that.

“They do. He’s got pneumonia and not water in his lungs.” Dr. Roth agreed.

“Why the trouble breathing?” Jason asked.

“It’s the pain and the pneumonia. Can also throw in the cold weather to go with it. His breathing should get better in a week or so. We can give him a proper dosage of morphine.” Dr. Roth said feeling confident that Clay’s breathing would be able to handle it.

Trent moved to give Clay a proper dosage of morphine while Dr. Roth got the X-ray put away and started to grab what he needed for the sexual assault exam.

“I need to give him a sexual assault exam now. The sedation is going to start to wear off soon and I would like for him to not be awake for that.” Dr. Roth said.

“Can I hold his hand?” Jason asked. He knew Clay was asleep, but he didn’t want him to be going through this feeling alone.

“Of course.” Dr. Roth said.

Dr. Roth and Debbie got Clay on his left side and moved his legs so they were curled up towards his chest. Jason went and sat down on a metal stool and held Clay’s hand and ran his hand through his hair. 

“I’m going to update the guys.” Trent said. 

He couldn’t be here for this, he couldn’t handle seeing this and it wasn’t something Clay would want him to see. Jason gave a nod, understanding why Trent needed a break. They had been doing this for close to four hours now, the guys deserved to be updated on Clay’s status. Trent made his way out to talk to the guys as Jason stayed with Clay to be there for him through this. Trent walked out into the waiting area and saw all of Bravo there, but also Alpha, Blackburn, Mandy and Davis as well. 

“How is he?” Sonny instantly asked.

Trent let out a sigh and the guys could all see he was exhausted. They couldn’t blame him, he had been in there for four hours helping Dr. Roth treat Clay. “He’s going to make it. He’s got over six hundred stitches to over a hundred cuts all over his body. We cleaned them all and so far none of them are showing signs of infection, a miracle all in itself. He has five broken ribs and a grade three concussion. There’s no water in his lungs though so it’s just pneumonia. His breathing isn’t a concern so we were able to give him a full dose of morphine to help with the pain. He’s still sedated and Dr. Roth is doing the sexual assault exam to make sure there’s no damage.”

“No lasting damage?” Blackburn asked.

“None so far. His nails will grow back and in two weeks the stitches can be removed. The electrical burns and second degree burns have been treated and we’ll keep putting a cream on them throughout the healing process. He’s covered in bruising, but nothing is bleeding internally. It’s a lot of superficial wounds done to inflict the most pain. Once the exam is done I’ll help Jase get him washed up and cleaned before he wakes up hopefully.”

“Do you know when he would be able to be transported home?” Blackburn asked.

“A few days most likely. There’s nothing that the doc can do but keep him on pain medication. Clay has to just rest. As long as nothing comes up within the next few days we should be good to fly him home.” Trent answered.

“So there’s nothing we can do for him?” Sonny asked.

“Not right now. He just needs rest. I’m gonna go back in there and be with Jason. I’ll come back out and let you know when you can come see him. We need to get him cleaned up first. Probably another hour and then you should be able to come see him.”

“I’ll go get us some coffee and food. You guys all need to eat.” Davis offered. It was something she could do for them instead of sitting around feeling useless.

“I’ll come help you.” Mandy said.

Trent headed back into the room and stood off to the side as he waited for Dr. Roth to finish getting Clay’s exam done. Once it was finished he spoke. “I’ve used dissolvable stitches and removed any trace of semen and blood that was in him. Based on what I can tell, he’s been raped multiple times over the course of his captivity. I’ll run his blood to check for any STDs, but realistically it’s too early to tell. You’ll need to get another blood test done when you get back to the states in a couple of weeks. He’ll also need to get tested in six weeks for HIV.”

“I’ll set it up.” Trent said, knowing that it would be on him to make sure Clay got the tests done that he needed to.

“I know you all want him to return to active duty and there’s nothing physically keeping him from doing so once he is healed. It’s going to be at least three months before his ribs and concussion are healed. With that being said though, he has undergone extreme torture and trauma. The mental and emotional injuries are extensive and there is a high probability that he will have PTSD. You need to be prepared for the possibility that he won’t be able to return to active duty. The most important thing you should be focusing your energy on is him just making a full recovery physically, mentally and emotionally, even if that means he doesn’t return to active status.” Dr. Roth advised.

“We just want him healthy Doc, we don’t care about anything else.” Jason said. 

Whether Clay could come back to Bravo or not didn’t change the fact that they all loved him. Clay was their kid brother, their family and they would be there for him through it all. They would get him through this and everything else that came his way. 

“I’ll leave you alone now to get him cleaned up. I’ll be in frequently to check in on him. If everything goes well, he can be flying home in three days.” Dr. Roth said.

Jason just gave a nod and Trent moved over to the bathroom as Dr. Roth and Debbie headed out to give them some privacy. Trent started the water for the bathtub and got it at the right temperature as he heard Jason’s voice speaking to Clay, who had started to come around as the sedation was wearing off. Trent got busy with getting everything they needed to get Clay cleaned up. He made sure it was all within reach and then went back to the bed. 

“I know you are tired, but we just need to get you cleaned up. Then you can sleep as long as you want.” Jason said.

Clay gave no indication that he even heard them, but they didn’t expect him to. Together Jason and Trent got Clay up and they slowly moved him into the bathroom. Jason held onto him as they walked, as he knew that Clay’s body was weak and he was in pain still. They got the hospital gown off of Clay and Jason picked Clay up bridal style for a moment to get him down into the tub. Clay groaned in pain as the water hit his cuts.

“I know, I’m sorry, but we need to get the mud and blood off of you Spense.” Trent said, as he picked up a cloth and got started.

Jason held onto Clay as Trent worked on getting his body cleaned. They did his legs first and Trent was gentle when he washed Clay’s private areas before he moved up to his upper body. Jason spoke softly to Clay the whole time, letting him know that he was safe and that it was only his and Trent’s hands on him. Once his body was cleaned, Trent emptied the water out and added fresh so they could get his face and hair cleaned up. Trent was very careful as he washed Clay’s hair, he didn’t want to hurt his head and cause any further pain from his head injury. They could both see that Clay was fighting to keep his eyes open. He was finally in a safe place and his body was demanding sleep from him. 

“It’s ok, you can sleep. We got you Sunshine.” Jason said.

They watched as Clay lost the fight to keep his eyes open and he was slowly slipping into sleep. They finished getting Clay cleaned up before Trent got the water out and they waited for it to drain. Once the tub was empty, Trent grabbed a towel and started to lightly dry Clay off as Jason continued to hold Clay up. Once he was dried they got a clean gown onto him and then Jason picked him up as carefully as he could and carried him over to the bed. He placed Clay down and Trent had the back lifted up slightly to help with his breathing and any coughing that might start due to the pneumonia. With that done he placed the oxygen mask back onto Clay before he texted Ray to let them know they could come in, but to be quiet. Jason got Clay covered with a blanket to help keep him warm, but not too warm so it would increase his fever. 

The door softly opened and everyone walked in. Jason turned to see Cerberus jumping up on the bed.

“Careful of his ribs Cerb.” Jason said.

Cerberus belly crawled up the bed and laid down right next to Clay. He was as close as he could be to Clay without putting any of his weight onto him. Jason gave Cerberus a pet to show his appreciation.

“What did the doc say?” Ray asked.

“He can fly in three days if nothing comes up. He said though there was a good chance that Clay would have PTSD from this.” Jason explained, but kept his eyes on Clay.

“We’ll get him through this. We’ll take it one day at a time and get him through it.” Ray promised.

The guys were not going to allow Clay to disappear on them. They would be there for the good and the bad. No matter how bad it got they were not going to lose Clay to an enemy or to his own mind. They would get him through this, it was just that simple to them. 

XXX

The guys all headed onto the plane and Jason and Trent helped to get Clay situated on a cot within the plane. He needed rest and he wouldn’t be able to do so in a hammock. Clay’s body was in a great deal of pain and he was very dizzy and nauseous from his concussion. He had a long road to go until he would be healed, but Jason and the guys were all going to be there for him and make sure he healed from this. They were still pissed off about Vic and what had happened to Clay because Vic played the rookie card. They had yet to speak with him, because they wanted to wait until they could talk to Clay about what had happened, to see if he had heard anything. The problem with that though, Clay had yet to say anything. It had been a week since they had found Clay and taken him to the base in Kabul and the whole time he didn’t speak. The guys didn’t know what to do, but the doctor had advised them to be prepared for Clay to have PTSD due to what happened to him. He had been tortured for ten days, raped every day by multiple people and was buried alive. The only reason he was still alive was because he dug himself out of the shallow grave. It wasn't something that people just get over, it would take him a long time for the physical injuries to heal as well as the mental and emotional ones. Clay not talking was only proof of that.

Jason and Trent got Clay laying down on the cot and the second he was tucked in Cerb was right there with him and Clay wrapped his arms around Cerberus. Since he had gotten into the infirmary Clay had found comfort with having Cerb with him. Between Cerberus and Jason, Clay hadn’t been alone. He was in a great deal of pain though and it seemed like even being maxed out on morphine wasn’t enough to take the pain fully away. 

“Spense, I’m going to give you a sedative so you’ll sleep the whole way. I’m also going to have an oxygen mask on you to help with your breathing during the flight.” Trent explained, as he grabbed what he needed.

Clay didn’t show any indication that he had heard Trent, but they were all expecting that. Trent got to work on getting Clay setup while Vic hobbled over to get his own hammock up. He was tired and had no interest in standing around looking at Clay. That was all the others had done since they had found Clay and Vic was getting tired of it. They were acting like he hadn’t been captured as well. He was hurt, he was upset from being captured. The only difference was, he wasn’t acting like Clay. To Vic, Clay was over exaggerating with his injuries. He couldn’t have been that hurt, yes he was tortured, but Vic felt like he should have gotten over it by now. At least, enough to be talking and trying to move on from it. It seemed very melodramatic to him and he wanted no part in it. 

Everyone on Alpha gathered around to keep an eye on Clay as Trent got him settled, their dog Roxy also joined Clay and Cerberus on his cot, but at his back instead to offer what comfort she could. 

“I think I lost my dog.” Jackson mumbled jokingly to Brock and Trent.

“He has that effect on people and pets.” Brock easily agreed. He could still remember the first operation with Clay and Cerberus spent most of their downtime with him. 

The guys watched as Clay’s eyes closed and they knew the sedation was kicking in now. It would keep him asleep and oblivious to the pain that his body was in. Trent and Jason moved back and joined the others so they could get their gear off and get themselves situated as well. 

“He hasn’t said a single word this whole time. I know the doc said that wasn’t uncommon after what he went through, but how long do we go with him not speaking?” Sonny asked, worried about Clay’s mental state.

“He’ll talk when he’s ready. We just have to give him time.” Jason said. He was worried too, but pushing Clay right now was not the way to go. He needed time to heal and process what happened. When he was ready he would talk.

“Do you think what the doc said was true, that he’s got PTSD?” Sonny asked. 

“He might. It’s a little too early to tell right now. He needs to heal from his injuries first and then we’ll know if he’s struggling with it. Even if he does get PTSD that doesn’t mean he won’t be able to operate again. Lots of operatives have some form of PTSD from the operations we go on, it doesn’t affect them in the field just in their personal life.” Trent answered.

“It’s something we’ll monitor, but for now we just need to get him home so he can physically heal. He’s got a long road ahead of him with his broken ribs and concussion. We just gotta get him through that first.” Ray said. 

“Who is he going to stay with?” Derek asked.

“We’re taking him home, I’ll stay with him and sleep on the couch.” Jason said.

“You sure? He can stay with me.” Sonny offered.

“I know, but if I was in his position all I would want is my own bed and being around my own things. He should be home. I can sleep on his couch and be there for him.” Jason said, with understanding in his voice.

“What are we going to do about Vic?” Full Metal asked, as he looked over at Vic who was already in his hammock.

“We’ll wait and see what Clay says. For now we’ll hold judgement until then.” Jason said.

“Even waiting to hear what Clay has to say about it, Vic admitted to basically throwing Clay under the bus. He put Clay in danger just to save his own ass some pain. How do we ignore that? How can we keep working with him, trusting him in the field, if we can’t even trust him to not allow one of us to be hurt.” Trent pointed out.

“I know you brought him in Ray, but Trent has a point. He knew Clay would be hurt and he would be left alone if he said he was a rookie. None of us would have done that. We would have accepted that we would be tortured in turns and we never would have left without the other.” Brock said. That is what bothered him the most about this. Clay didn’t need to be tortured to this extreme. They did it because of what Vic had said. Vic should have just manned up and accepted his turn of torture instead he spent ten days with his hands cuffed getting water, food and all the sleep he wanted. While Clay went through complete hell right next door to him. He had done so and listened to Clay’s screams and he didn’t seem to show any remorse for his actions.

“We can’t. He shouldn’t be here. I can’t trust him with any of your lives. He’s not who he said he was, who he presented himself as.” Ray agreed.

He was pissed, beyond pissed, that Vic had done this to Clay. It went against the brotherhood and everything they stood for. He had no business being in DEVGRU or this family. 

“We’ll talk to Clay when he is ready and go from there. I’ve never removed a trident before, never seen it happen in eighteen years I’ve been in DEVGRU. But if that is what needs to happen then I’ll do it. Let’s give Clay a few days at home where he can rest before trying to get him to talk.” Jason said.

“Alright, for now we all need sleep. We’ve been going basically nonstop for the past two weeks. He’s asleep and will be for the whole flight Trent and me will take turns checking on him.” Derek said.

“He’s right, we need sleep. Especially you Jase. Let’s get some sleep while we can. We got a long road ahead of us.” Ray said with understanding. They had been running on fumes for the past two weeks, it was time they got some real sleep.

Jason gave a nod, he wasn’t happy with it but he also knew he couldn’t keep going like this. They all started to remove their gear and get their hammocks ready. Jason made sure he was as close to Clay as possible before he got into his hammock and allowed his exhaustion to pull him under.

XXX

Jason pulled up to Clay’s apartment and parked out front in Clay’s spot. Trent was with them, but Jason had sent the guys home. They needed to see their family and take some down time for themselves. The whole team was going to be down for two weeks to allow them some time to recover from this past operation and to help Clay in the initial phases. Eventually they would all have to go back to operations, but Blackburn was trying to see if Jason could take some vacation days to stick around with Clay longer. Clay was still pretty out of it from the sedative and they were hoping it would help with the pain until they could get Clay in his bed. 

“Alright Sunshine, let’s get you upstairs and into bed.” Jason said, as he got out of his truck. 

He went around to the back passenger side where Clay was laying back in. He opened the door and leaned in to remove the seat belt before he helped to get Clay moving. Clay didn’t talk, and he was pretty out of it for the most part, but he did get up to pee and he would move if you got him started. Jason and Trent helped to get Clay out of the truck and moving inside. Derek was also going to be checking in on Clay once he got home. He had some paperwork to handle at the base first. Together Jason and Trent got Clay upstairs to his apartment.

“Do you need to use the bathroom Sunshine?” Jason asked.

Clay gave a distance nod and Jason was taking that as progress. He brought Clay into his bathroom and left him there to do his business and when he heard the toilet flush and the water running Jason opened the door to see Clay with his hands under the hot water just staring at them. He reached over and added some cold water and lowered the hot to prevent Clay from burning his hands. He added some soap to Clay’s hands and Clay finished washing them. Jason turned the water off and handed Clay the towel.

“Let’s get you into bed Sunshine.” Jason said, gently.

Clay gave a distant nod and Jason helped Clay get over to his bedroom and into bed.

“Spense, do you want to get changed?” Trent asked.

Clay had just gone through the process of getting dressed before they got on the plane, but he didn’t know if he wanted to get out of the clothes he had from the hospital. Clay shook his head slightly as he laid down. Jason covered him with his blanket as Trent checked his breathing and temperature real quick. The pneumonia was giving Clay’s body a good run for its money and it was making him very tired and sick. 

“What is it?” Jason asked.

“One hundred and two point three. Clay I’m just going to give you a shot for an antipyretic to help reduce your fever and I’m going to get you an IV going to help keep you hydrated.” Trent explained.

Clay didn’t respond in any way, he just closed his eyes and the guys both knew that he was good with it. Trent made quick work of getting the IV line in and the shot for Clay. With that done he stepped back and allowed Jason to have some time alone with Clay. Jason ran his hand through Clay’s hair as he bent down so he was eye level with him.

“I’m just going to be right out in the living room. If you need me call. I’ll be checking in on you too. The best thing you can do is sleep Sunshine. Later maybe we can get some soup into you if you are feeling up to it. Are you ok to be alone?” 

Clay kept his eyes closed, but he gave a small nod. Jason leaned in and placed a kiss to Clay’s head before he stood back up.

“I love you, you’re gonna be ok.” Jason promised.

Clay took in a shaky breath but didn’t open his eyes or say anything. Jason knew Clay just needed some time, so he headed out. He closed the bedroom door part way so he wouldn’t disturb Clay, but he also wanted to make sure he could hear Clay should something be wrong. He saw Trent standing in the kitchen going through the fridge and tossing out what was no good now.

“I’m gonna do a grocery run.” Trent said.

“Ok, what about his antibiotic?” Jason asked, trying to get his mind to focus on what needed to be done.

“I’ll pick it up at the same time. I’ll also pick up some chicken noodle soup, the old style kind that is just broth and noodles. He’s going to be pretty sick for a while with the pneumonia, but the grade three concussion will make him nauseous for a good couple of months. Anything you want at the store?” 

“Just grab whatever.” Jason was easy.

“I’ll grab you some clothes from your place as well. He’ll be ok Boss.” Trent said, trying to offer what comfort he could to Jason.

“I know, I just hate that he had to go through this.”

“Me too. I’ll go grab those things, he should sleep the majority of the day and night away for a good week. Just let him sleep as much as he wants and make sure he takes his medication and eats once a day for right now. After a week of antibiotics he’ll start to feel better and then you can press for him to be eating more.”

“Alright.” 

Jason was happy to leave Clay to sleep. His body desperately needed it and it would help to manage the pain he was in. Trent headed out and Jason let out a sigh once he was alone. The past two weeks had been very exhausting and stressful, but being back home with Clay didn’t magically make it all go away. Clay had a long road to go and Jason was going to be there for him through it all. Jason turned his attention to the kitchen as he continued to look for any food that was no good. He saw that the dishes in the dishwasher were clean so he put them away. He then went and made sure there was no laundry that needed to be done. Clay’s place was normally very clean to begin with, he was pretty anal when it comes to that. He wasn’t surprised to see a bit of laundry due to them being spun up on a short notice. Jason grabbed it and tossed it in for a load before he headed back out and figured he would do a wipe down of everything. He knew he was doing this for Clay, but also for himself. He couldn’t take Clay’s pain away, but he could make sure his place was clean and he had food in his fridge. It also allowed him to work off his anxious energy until he could finally settle down and relax. Jason just hoped that Clay slept through the day and night and gave his body what it desperately needed. 

XXX

It had been two days since Clay had arrived back at his place. So far he had felt like complete shit. He was throwing up from the concussion, he was dizzy more than he wasn’t and on top of that he was in extreme pain and sick as hell with pneumonia. He had been trying to sleep as much as he could, but he was often up throwing up in the bathroom for thirty minutes to an hour at a time. His whole body hurt to go with it, no matter how much pain medication he took. He was maxed out and in constant pain and it was only making him more miserable. He was so tired, but everytime he fell asleep he was being woken up by nightmares. He kept feeling the men’s hands on him. He could still smell them on his skin, hear their voices. He still felt trapped there, even though he knew he was home. He knew the others were worried about him, but he couldn’t seem to bring himself to talk yet. He couldn’t process what happened to him. His mind couldn’t work it out just yet and something as simple as talking seemed like he was being asked to speak some foreign language that he didn’t know. He knew he needed to figure it out, but he just couldn’t seem to do that just yet.

Clay was laying on the couch against Jason, who had his body turned towards the corner of the couch so Clay could lay against him as they had the TV on. Clay had been pretty sick the last two days and they found that it was easier for him to be up slightly compared to laying down to settle his dizziness. They also had a bucket by the couch for when Clay’s stomach would turn. They were watching the history channel, just something that Clay could watch and get his mind off of things. There was a knock at the front door before it opened and the guys from Bravo walked in, minus Vic. 

“Oh you are not looking so good there Pretty Boy.” Sonny said.

This was the first time they had seen Clay since getting back to the states, minus Trent who had been coming by to check in on him once or twice a day. 

“Still throwing up a lot?” Trent asked, as he went and sat down on the coffee table to look Clay over again.

“Ya, he’s pretty sick and dizzy most of the time. He’s not too bad if he’s sitting up, but laying flat is out of the question. He’s also coughing a lot and that is making him throw up and hurting his ribs more.” Jason answered.

“You can’t catch a break brother.” Ray said, sadly.

“When did he have his meds?” Trent asked.

“Pain meds are still three hours out. He’s had his antibiotic.”

“Food?” Trent asked, as he checked Clay’s temperature.

“Somee broth. He’s been too sick to keep anything down.”

“Fever is almost a hundred and three. I’ll give him a shot to help bring it down and something to help settle his stomach.”

Trent grabbed what he needed from his bag and quickly gave Clay the two shots to hopefully help him out. They could all see that his body was trembling from the fever and the pain he was in. Seeing Clay like this was only pissing them off even more towards Vic. 

“Can you tell us how you are feeling Little Buddy?” Sony asked, gently. Clay had yet to talk and they were all getting really worried about it. 

Clay could talk, he loved to talk about anything and everything. Sometimes it was annoying but right now all they wanted was to hear his voice. To hear him talking about some history or cultural thing that fascinated him. They would happily listen to one of his rants about something they could barely understand. They just wanted to hear his voice. Clay looked up at the others in the room and he could see their concern and worry, they weren’t even trying to hide it. He knew he was causing the worry and he hated it. He had to say something, anything. Clay was really hoping once he spoke then maybe talking would get easier.

“Hurts.” Clay said with a shaky and broken voice.

Just that one word though spoke volumes about the level of pain that Clay was in. It was more than that though, because at just talking something inside of Clay’s mind seemed to snap. Before he knew it the tears were welling up in his eyes and pouring down his face. The reality of the situation hit him full force, everything he had gone through hit him and it was in that moment that Clay’s mind registered being tortured, raped and buried alive, but also being back home safe with his brothers and his dad. 

“Oh my god.” Clay said, before he completely broke down.

Jason wrapped his arms around Clay as Clay turned into him more as he completely broke down. This was the first time that Clay had actually cried since his capture and they knew this was a huge step in the right direction to Clay’s mental healing. 

“It’s ok, I got you.” Jason said.

Sonny moved over and sat down on the free spot of the couch and placed his hand on Clay’s thigh to offer him comfort. Trent reached over and held Clay’s hand, while Ray placed his hand on Clay’s calf and Brock and Full Metal moved closer. 

“We got you brother. You’re safe now.” Ray said, as he fought with his own tears. 

The guys all offered Clay comforting words and were there for him as he cried his heart out over the trauma and pain he had endured. Clay continued to cry hard for over the course of twenty minutes. By the time the tears had slowed down his breathing was hitched and he wasn’t able to get a deep breath. He was too worked up and the guys all knew they needed to get him calmed down so he could breathe properly and not make himself throw up. 

“I need you to try and hold your breath for a few seconds for me Kiddo.” Trent said, as Jason rubbed Clay’s back to try and calm him down.

Clay held his breath for as long as he could, but it wasn’t very long with his breathing being hitched. He listened to Trent and together they were able to get his breathing more normal. Ray went into the bathroom and grabbed a clean washcloth and ran it under cool water and rang it out before going back out to the living room. He handed it over to Trent and Trent gently pressed the cool cloth against Clay’s face to help wipe the tears away and to try and cool his skin off from his fever. Clay hissed slightly from the coldness of the cloth against his feverish skin.

“I know, but it’s going to help.” Trent said, gently.

Trent finished cooling Clay’s skin off and Brock took the cloth and handed Trent a glass of water with a straw in it. Trent held it for Clay and got him to take a few small sips before he left him alone. Trent placed the water down on the coffee table as Jason spoke.

“You’re going to be ok. We’re going to get you through all of this Sunshine, I promise.”

“Everything just hurts.” Clay said, with a great deal of pain to his raspy voice.

“We know kiddo. We would take it away if we could. We’d trade places with you in a second.” Ray said, with complete understanding to his voice.

The guys were all feeling Clay’s pain. Every last one of them would have traded places with him and gone through this hell themselves if it would save Clay from this. Clay was their kid brother, the youngest out of them all and he didn’t deserve to have this trauma. They couldn’t believe Vic could throw Clay under the bus so fast. If they had been the one with Clay they would have made it seem like Clay was the know-nothing rookie and they would have taken the torture on so Clay would be spared. There was a knock at the door and Jason called out.

“It’s open.”

Jason knew it would just be one of the guys from Alpha, most likely Derek, so there was no need to worry. The door opened and Blackburn walked in with a grocery bag in his hand. He closed the door as he spoke.

“Afternoon. I brought some ginger ale and popsicles to help with the nausea.” Blackburn said, as he brought the items into the kitchen and put the popsicles into the freezer and left the ginger ale out.

“Appreciate it.” Jason said kindly.

“How are you feeling Spenser?” Blackburn asked. He had heard from the others that Clay was not doing well. He was very sick and he wasn’t talking. Blackburn wasn’t sure if Clay would answer him, but he was hoping Clay was talking now.

“Like shit.” Clay answered. That seemed to sum up how he was feeling the best at this point.

“The Upper Brass is granting you as much medical time that you need. They know based on your medical report that you have serious injuries and will need time to recover from them all. The team is down for two weeks but then you will need to be back on rotation. Jason, Captain Lindell was able to grant you some vacation time. You had thirty days saved up so after two weeks you will be on vacation, that gives you six weeks off.”

“I appreciate it.”

Six weeks was better than he thought Blackburn would be able to pull off. It would get Clay through half of his physical recovery and he would hopefully be in better shape after no longer having pneumonia. 

“Clay, the Upper Brass knows that you are very sick and injured right now, but they also need to know what happened that lead up to the torture. Vic already gave his report of what happened and they need to know your side of the story. This is very serious because a Seal had never been in captivity before and this operation resulted in two being captive and one severely tortured. They need to know what happened.” Blackburn said, gently. He knew this wouldn’t be easy for Clay to talk about.

“What did Vic say?” Jason asked, giving Clay some time to get his thoughts in order.

“He reported that he told Clay while they were on Overwatch that they needed to move. He states that Clay refused to make the call to leave Overwatch and put both of their lives at risk by Vic not wanting to leave Clay behind. Vic went on to state that while in captivity he never gave any intel to his captors and he was left alone for the most part. He did state that it all could have been avoidable if Clay had listened to him and left when he said to. He stated that he felt because Clay felt threatened by him and his position within Bravo that he took unnecessary risks that could have resulted in both of their deaths. That Clay had been hostile towards him since the first day he was in Bravo despite what he tried to do to build a relationship.”

“That’s bullshit. Clay wouldn’t let any personal shit get between him and Vic while out on an op.” Ray instantly said.

“And what the fuck would Clay have to feel threatened about over Vic. He was the new guy, he hadn’t earned his place on the team. He wasn’t hostile towards him, he was getting used to a new guy, just like I did with Clay.” Sonny said, in Clay’s defense.

“I’m not saying what Vic reported is accurate or the truth. Neither is the Upper Brass. They just need to know Clay’s side of the events leading up to their capture. I will tell you that they are not impressed with Vic’s accounts where he states he told them he was a rookie. If he had been alone in captivity that would have been fine, but him stating he was a rookie with someone else captured would only result in the other captive being the sole focus. Clay, if you could tell me anything about leading up to what happened to you that would be very appreciative. I can then inform Captain Lindell of what you have told me.” Blackburn said, as he sat down in one of the chairs.

Clay took in a shaky breath and Jason ran his hand through Clay’s hair to offer him some comfort as he spoke in a raspy voice.

“We were on Overwatch when a group of hostels started to close in on Bravo. I radioed it in to Jase and I told him we would hold Overwatch for as long as we could so they could get out the south side of the building. Vic was getting nervous with us being out there on our own and having to meet at a secondary exfil. I told him if he didn’t want to stay, then to go, that I wasn’t leaving until Bravo was safe. The only thing keeping them safe was our firing at the hostiles. Vic stayed and once Bravo gave the all clear we moved to the secondary exfil. Enemy troops had been coming up behind us and we didn’t get far before we were surrounded. They spoke english and told us to give up our weapons and I made the first move to hand them over. I knew the odds of us winning against ten of them were slim. Vic handed over his weapons after I did and they restrained our hands and took us to the compound. They didn’t talk the whole time and when we got to the compound they put us each in a cell beside each other. They left us alone for a few hours before I heard someone go into his cell. I could hear them talking, the walls weren’t thick. They asked him who he was and who he was working for. He told them that he was a rookie and didn’t know anything. That this was his first operation. They asked him who I was and he told them that I was his superior and had been fully briefed on the operation. They left him alone after that and then they came into my cell.”

Clay started to cough from all of the talking. The coughing fit was not helping his throat or his ribs. Jason moved slightly so he could rub Clay’s back as he spoke.

“Grab the bucket.”

Trent grabbed the bucket that was on the floor and was ready just in case Clay’s stomach flipped from the coughing fit. That moment came a minute later as Clay reached over for the bucket. Trent moved it so it was under Clay’s mouth and held it as Clay threw up the very little food and water he had in his stomach. 

“Ok, try and take a few slow and deep breaths to settle the coughing down.” Trent said, gently as he knew how much Clay hated throwing up. It was the one thing he hated the most with being sick.

Ray had ran the washcloth under cold water in the kitchen once again and rang it out before he handed it over to Sonny. Sonny took it and held it on the back of Clay’s neck to try and help soothe his stomach. When Clay finished throwing up Ray handed Clay his glass of water so he could rinse his mouth out. Trent then got up and went into the bathroom to empty the bucket out. Clay’s shaking was getting worse and they all knew he was in even more pain now. 

“You need sleep. Let’s get you settled into bed ok?” Jason said, knowing it would be easier for Clay to sleep in his bed sitting up on pillows then in the living room with all of the conversation going on.

Jason and Sonny both helped Clay to stand, the moans of pain tore at all of their hearts at just the simple task of standing. Jason and Sonny got Clay into his bedroom and Trent joined them with the clean bucket. They got Clay laying down in his bed with a bunch of pillows behind him so he was sitting up slightly to help with the pain in his ribs, his coughing and his dizziness. Trent placed a cool cloth on Clay’s forehead to try and help settle his stomach as Jason covered Clay up. 

“Just try and sleep Sunshine.”

“I don’t know if I can do this.” Clay said, as a few tears ran down his cheeks.

“You can do this. We’re here with you, you’re not alone. We’re gonna get you through this I promise son.” Jason said, gently as he wiped the tears from Clay’s cheeks.

“Do you want Cerb? Brock can go and get him.” Trent offered.

Clay gave a very small nod and they guys knew he was in need of some serious love and comfort. Cerberus was always good for that.

“Ok, he’ll go get him and he can stay here with you.” Trent said, knowing that Brock wouldn’t have a problem with Cerberus staying with Clay for the next couple of weeks.

“We’re going to be right out in the living room. I’ll come check in on you.” Jason said.

The three of them headed back out into the living room. Jason closed the door most of the way, but he left it open enough so that they could hear Clay if he needed them. 

“Brock, can you grab Cerb?” Jason asked.

“Ya, I’ll make sure I bring some food for him and he can stay here for the next two weeks. He wanted to come, but I didn’t know how Clay was feeling.”

“He’s not doing well. He’s feeling defeated.” Sonny said with both sadness and anger in his voice.

“He’s been through a lot and it’s not like what it is for Vic. Vic gets to walk away and he won’t even have any problems afterwards. Clay’s the one that has to heal from his injuries. The trauma and torture doesn’t stop because he got away. He’s going to be sick and recovering for three months.” Trent said.

“What are we going to do about that son of a bitch?” Full Metal asked, with a deadly edge to his voice.

“I’ll report back to Captain Lindell and inform him what Clay told me. It’s technically a he said, he said, but Vic did admit to saying he was a rookie. He didn’t admit to telling them that Clay was the one they wanted. Still, he admitted to putting the attention on Clay and with Clay’s service record they’ll sway his way. With that said though, Vic didn’t do anything criminal. He did what he was told to do, that if you get captured do whatever you have to do to survive. To him that wasn’t enduring the pain, it was getting the attention off of him. How you wish to handle this will be internal and up to you.” Blackburn explained.

“So what are we going to do about him?” Sonny asked his brothers.

“I got a bag of lye and a shovel in my truck.” Full Metal simply said.

“Tempting.” Trent commented.

“There’s only one thing we can do.” Ray simply stated.

“I’ve never done it before, but I don’t see any other option. He went against the brotherhood of DEVGRU, he was a coward and he doesn’t deserve the trident.” Jason said.

“I vouched for him, I’ll do it.” Ray said.

“Bring him in tomorrow at the base and do it there. He’ll be kicked down to the Seals again, no one in DEVGRU will want to pick him back up. I’d like to be there, but I need to be here for Clay.” Jason said.

“I’ll handle it. Is there anything we can do to help Clay?” Ray asked Trent.

“He just needs time to sleep and heal. There’s nothing we can really do outside of making him comfortable and fighting the symptoms. He’s got a long road to go.” 

“I’ll go get Cerb.” Brock stated.

The guys gave a nod and Brock and Blackburn headed out. The rest of them were going to stay for awhile and be here for Clay should he need them. He was alone in that cell, but he wasn’t alone anymore and they were going to make sure he knew it. 

XXX

The guys all made their way into their war room that morning. They weren’t sure how well this would go over, but it was something they needed to do. Vic couldn’t be trusted with their most precious brother’s life. He couldn’t be here and it was just that simple to them. Ray was feeling a lot of guilt right now, because he brought Vic onto the team with the hope that he would be a great number two to Clay. Only he turned out to be a complete fraud and had resulted in Clay being horribly tortured. There was no going back from that and there was nothing Vic could say or do to make up for what he had done. Today was a dark day for the brotherhood, but it was a day that needed to be had. Blackburn wasn’t here, but they weren’t expecting for him to be here for this. This was a team issue and would be handled by the team. They had heard from Jason and Clay was in agreement to Vic being kicked out. He hadn’t been sleeping too great and last night was rough as well. It did help to have Cerberus with him though, he seemed to bring comfort to Clay and had alerted Jason whenever Clay had a nightmare so he could bring Clay out of it sooner. Clay had a long way to go but they were determined to get him through it. 

The door opened and Vic walked in, clearly confused as to why they were all here. He had heard that the team was down for two weeks while they recovered from their past operations. Something that worked out well for him so his ankle could heal. 

“We getting spun up already?” Vic asked, as he went and sat down.

“Don’t sit.” Full Metal ordered.

Jason wasn’t here, so right now he was the Master Chief and in charge. He was not about to let Vic sit down and get all comfortable. His ass was in the fire and he was going to feel every second of it. He didn’t care if he had a sprained ankle and it hurt to stand, the pain he would feel was nothing compared to the pain that Clay was suffering through because of Vic’s choices.

Vic straightened up and pushed the chair back in as he spoke. “What is going on?”

“Do you stand by your decision to tell your captives that you were a rookie?” Ray asked, getting things started.

“I do. I don’t get why it’s such a big deal. In Green Team, we’re taught that if you get captured you do whatever you have to do to survive. My telling them that I was a rookie gave me the best chances of survival.” Vic didn’t get the big deal about any of this. Clay didn’t tell them he was a rookie, to Vic that just made him an idiot. Just like he should have left Overwatch long before they did and this whole mess wouldn’t have happened. Clay did this to himself and he has only himself to blame.

“You are told to do whatever you need to in order to survive. However, you have to do that without giving up intel to the enemy and without putting someone else in harm’s way. Clay overheard what you said to your captors. You told them you were a rookie, but you also told them that Clay was your superior and was briefed on the operation. You saved your own ass, by putting Clay at risk.” Ray explained, hoping to get Vic to see the error of his ways so he would never make the same mistake again should he ever find himself in that position.

“I never said that and if he did, then he’s lying to cover his own ass. He knows he made the mistake in waiting to leave Overwatch too long. Now he wants to try and blame me for what happened to him instead of being a man and accepting his punishment for his own decisions and mistakes.” Vic countered.

That was it for Sonny. There was no way in hell he was going to allow Vic to try and play the victim and make this all Clay’s fault. “Now you listen here you piece of shit. You went against the brotherhood and everything we stand for. You allowed a brother, a kid brother, to be tortured while you sat there getting food and water perfectly safe. You sat there listening to his screams for ten days and didn’t do anything to help him. You didn’t do anything to get the attention of your captors to give him some relief. You didn’t even find him, you left as he was being buried alive. And you want to blame him for staying in Overwatch to make sure our asses didn’t get killed?”

“Full Metal’s plan is looking good right now.” Brock said, referring to the lye and a shovel.

“Still in my truck.” Full Metal said, with an edge to his voice as he looked right at Vic.

“I didn’t do anything that everyone else would have done.” Vic argued.

“No see that’s the thing, you did Vic. If any one of us were with Clay and were grabbed, the first thing out of our mouths would have been that Clay was a rookie and wouldn’t know anything. We would have protected him. Not just because he’s the future of Bravo, but because he’s the youngest, he’s our kid brother and as his big brothers we have a responsibility to protect him. To prevent him from going through something so traumatising it could not only end his career, but his life. We would have taken on the torture. We would have been raped. We would have been buried alive, if that is what it took to protect him. You were supposed to be his big brother, you got five years on him and yet you threw him under the bus the first chance you could. You betrayed him and in doing so, you betrayed every single one of us. And not just in Bravo, but in Alpha and every Tier One team. Clay is the youngest out of everyone in DEVGRU and we all look out for him. We all will go to the end’s of the earth to protect him. You didn’t. And that’s unforgivable.” Ray said, as he moved over to Ray.

He pulled out his pocket knife as he continued to speak. “We can’t trust you with Clay and if we can’t trust you with what is the most precious to us, then you can’t be here.”

“Ray.” Vic started, but he stopped as Ray started to cut the trident off his chest.

“You have brought disgrace and dishonor to your trident and as a result you will never have one again.” Ray said, as he ripped the patch off.

“Get the hell out.” Full Metal said with a deadly edge to his voice.

Vic turned and headed out quickly so the guys wouldn’t see the tears in his eyes. He never thought this would happen. He had worked so hard to get into Bravo, to have a family, and now they were gone for what he considered something that was Clay’s fault. He made his way to his cage room and saw that all of his things were already packed and sitting on the table. Vic allowed himself a moment to let the tears fall as he felt the loss of his dream. He would never get to be in DEVGRU now, no team would want him in fear of pissing off Jason Hayes. Vic couldn’t believe this was happening, he didn’t deserve it. He looked over and saw Clay’s cage all in order and he couldn’t stop the rage that filled up inside of him. He went over to Clay’s cage and opened the door and started to grab the photos he had up and ripped them into pieces. He took his knife out and destroyed the stuffed seal that Davis had given to Clay while he was in the hospital recovering from his leg injury. He threw everything down onto the floor and broke whatever personal items there were that he could, including Clay’s precious books. Once everything was destroyed or on the floor Vic went and grabbed his bags and headed out. He would figure out how to get back into DEVGRU, no matter what.

The guys walked into their cage room ten minutes after Vic had left. They wanted to make sure by the time they arrived in their cage room, all of Vic’s things would be gone so they wouldn’t have to deal with him. What they didn’t expect was for Clay’s cage to be completely destroyed.

“What the fuck?” Sonny growled, as he saw it.

“Little bastard destroyed his cage.” Full Metal said, not impressed at all by the childish actions of Vic.

“He tore up his pictures, his books, even the seal that Davis gave him.” Trent said, as he went over to see the mess.

“Just what the kid needed to deal with.” Sonny said, as he bent down and started to pick up the pieces of the torn photos. 

“Let’s see what we can salvage and replace what we can’t.” Ray said, as he bent down and started to help clean up the mess.

The guys couldn’t believe that Vic had done this, it was just pouring salt in the wound. Regardless, they were going to make sure it was sorted for Clay. He had enough to deal with, he didn’t need this. One thing they did know, they would get Clay through the pain he was in and get him back on Bravo with them where he belonged, even if it was the last thing they did. Clay was their kid brother and they would get him through this and back to being himself. 

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so this ends the first story for Papa Jason. Let me know what you think, if you want more stories or not. Let me also know if you’d like to see a part two of this story as well, because I might be able to work something out for it. Comment and let me know if you have any story ideas as well that you would like for me to include in this oneshot collection too!
> 
> Happy holidays!!!!


End file.
